Ware County, Georgia
Ware County is a county located in the southeast of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,312. The county seat is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area. By geographic area, Ware County is the largest Georgia county. There is a local saying that the county seat of Waycross is "the largest city in the largest county in the largest state, east of the Mississippi". History Ware County, Georgia's 60th county, was created on December 15, 1824, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from land that was originally part of Appling County. The county is named for Nicholas Ware, the mayor of Augusta, Georgia from (1819–1821) and United States Senator who represented Georgia from 1821 until his death in 1824. Several counties were later created from parts of the original Ware County borders: * Bacon County (from portions of Appling, Pierce, and Ware counties in 1917) * Charlton County (from portions of Camden and Ware county) * Clinch County (from portions of Lowndes and Ware counties in 1850) * Coffee County (from portions of Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties in 1854) * Pierce County (from portions of Appling and Ware counties in 1857) Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. It is the largest county in Georgia by area. A large portion of the county lies within the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected areas. More than half of Ware County, made up by the western half of the southern portion of the county, the land bridge to the northern portion of the county, and the southern and western portion of the northern section of the county, is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern half of the southern portion of Ware County is located in the St. Marys River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The rest of the county, from just southeast to north and west of Waycross, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Major highways * U.S. Route 1 * U.S. Route 1 Business * U.S. Route 23 * U.S. Route 23 Business * U.S. Route 82 * U.S. Route 84 * State Route 4 * State Route 4 Business * State Route 38 * State Route 122 * State Route 158 * State Route 177 * State Route 520 Adjacent counties *Bacon County - north *Pierce County - east *Brantley County - east *Charlton County - southeast *Baker County, Florida - south *Clinch County - west *Atkinson County - west *Coffee County - northwest National protected area * Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 35,483 people, 13,475 households, and 9,297 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 15,831 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.65% White, 28.01% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Ware County were English 46.13%, African 28.01%, Scots-Irish 12.29%, Scottish 4.3%, Irish 2.21% and Welsh 1.9%. There were 13,475 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,360, and the median income for a family was $34,372. Males had a median income of $26,910 versus $20,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,384. About 15.90% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.10% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,312 people, 13,654 households, and 9,209 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,326 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 66.4% white, 29.5% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.6% were American, 13.1% were English, 10.9% were Irish, and 5.6% were German. Of the 13,654 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 38.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $35,517 and the median income for a family was $47,609. Males had a median income of $36,149 versus $27,034 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,295. About 16.7% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. Education High schools *Ware County High School, Waycross Middle schools *Ware County Middle School, Waycross *Waycross Middle School, Waycross Elementary schools *Wacona Elementary School, Waycross *Center Elementary School, Waycross *Williams Heights Elementary School, Waycross *Memorial Drive Elementary School, Waycross *Ruskin Elementary School, Waycross *Waresboro Elementary School, Waycross Preschools *DAFFODIL Preschool, Waycross Private schools *Southside Christian School Higher education *South Georgia State College, Waycross *Coastal Pines Technical College, Waycross Communities Cities *Waycross Census-designated places *Deenwood *Sunnyside Unincorporated communities *Bickley *Dixie Union *Jamestown *Manor *Millwood *Ruskin *Skullhead *TelmoreWare County, Georgia *Waresboro Politics See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Ware County, Georgia *Obediah Barber Homestead References External links * Official Ware County website * Ware County Community Website & Community Calendar * Georgia GenWeb Ware County site * Okefenokee Swamp Park homepage * Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Ware County, Georgia Category:1824 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1824 Category:Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area